Phryne Fisher

Created by Kerry Greenwood (1954--)

Imagine Honey West as a flapper with a vorocious sexual appetite -- and a clue.

In a popular series of novels by Australian author Kerry Greenwood, society gal and flapper turned private eye PHRYNE (pronounced "Fry-Nee") FISHER prowls around jazz-era Melbourne, Australia, getting into all sorts of mischief, both sexual and otherwise, bouncing along from marvelous mansions and the swankiest of night spots to the lowliest of dives, armed only with a come-hither look, a pearl-handled .38 and a diaphragm.

But she's no bimbo.

Sure, she's a flirt, and she's not above using her feminie wiles to get what she wants, but she's also got a shrewd eye for detail, a cunning mind and some awesome detective skills, and she's fueled by a steely determination to put things right.

Of course, her sexual appetites were tuned way, way down when the series was produced for television, but in casting Essie Davis, the Australian producers may have just lucked onto the most sexually charged female private eye in television history since Anne Francis took on the role of Honey back in the sixties.

That, and the scrumptious production values (plus an author still pumping out original source material) kept the show going for three seasons, attracting a decent following -- or at least a decent enough following to inspire fan conventions, a Kickstarter campaign to finance a feature film, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, and even a special edition of Cluedo.